The final week of pre-school is winding up for both Bowen Island Montessori and for the Bowen Children’s Centre, and some thirty odd graduates have been celebrating with picnics and barbeques.
Preparation for entry into Kindergarten started earlier this month with BICS hosting the annual “Welcome to kindergarten” event allowing both the children and parents an opportunity to visit the classrooms and teachers. A week later, kindergarten teachers made a visit to the pre-school classes.
“The programme is brilliant,” said Kim Molinski, mother to five-year-old Rachel. “Rachel was really overwhelmed on her first visit with so many adults and children but the subsequent visit with her smaller pre-school class has made her feel much more calm and relaxed about her entry into Kindergarten.
Wendy Cellik, whose son Atom is also heading to kindergarten next year, was equally supportive about the integrated introduction to kindergarten.
“You would not get this in the city, it just shows how integrated our island community is.”
Bowen Children’s Centre pre-school teacher Melina Toliusis summed up this year’s graduating class as inspiring.
“They have taken real ownership of their own ideas and learning direction,” she says. “I was a bit apprehensive when the afternoon class wanted to write their own Christmas play but they did it, songs and all! The children adapted the Billy Goats Gruff and it evolved to have every creature imaginable crossing over the bridge complete with a mermaid.”
Memorable highlights from this year’s crop of kids at the Bowen Montesorri has been the children’s participation in the community events including the Bowfest Parade, lantern making party, the traditional visit from Santa, and for the first time ever an “Earth, Wind, and Fibre” art show created by the kids.
Before the parents of these wonderful little Bowen Islanders start fretting about packed lunches and missed school buses there is a glorious summer to be enjoyed. Their teachers are wishing them the very best as they get ready to start a new phase in their lives whether at Bowen Island Community School, the Island Discovery Learning Community or through independent learning at home!
